1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of video image processing, and more specifically, to the selective display of video images in a videoconference.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
The evolution of information handling systems and the growing ubiquity of network connectivity is making it increasingly possible to be connected, anytime, any place, for any reason. This trend has become particularly relevant in the workplace, where the value of timely and effective communication between individuals is well recognized. Yet co-workers are not always able to personally be present for meetings due to scheduling conflicts, the rising cost of travel and other constraints. As a result, remotely participating in meetings has become more common. In the past, remote meeting participation was primarily through teleconferencing, but videoconferencing is gaining in popularity as equipment and high-speed network connectivity has become more available and affordable. Another emerging trend is the availability of personal video teleconference systems based on a webcam, personal computer system, inexpensive or free videoconferencing applications and broadband Internet connectivity. This technology is currently available on portable information handling systems such as laptop computers and has improved to the point where it will soon be incorporated into other portable devices such as personal digital assistants (PDAs) and wireless phones. While personal videoconferencing has its advantages, issues remain for its widespread adoption for multi-participant videoconferencing use.
Traditional desktop videoconferencing also has issues according to the video and audio capture technologies employed, which can include pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ) cameras, mirror-based omni-directional cameras, omni-directional camera arrays, directional microphones and multi-microphone arrays. PTZ cameras are currently the most common video capture solution, and have the advantage of being able to pan across a room and zoom in on a presenter or out to include a group. Mirror-based, omni-directional cameras incorporate mirrors to provide a 360 degree view, which the viewer can control much as they would a PTZ camera. Another mirror-based camera unwarps a spherically-distorted video stream into a rectilinear view. Yet another approach is to assemble multiple inexpensive cameras to form an omni-directional camera array, such as the RingCam developed by Microsoft Corporation. As typically implemented, five IEEE 1394 “Firewire” cameras are oriented in a pinwheel configuration. Each camera covers a 72 degree field of view, which can be displayed separately or stitched together (i.e., concatenated), to provide a virtual panoramic view of the videoconference room. In addition, a corresponding array of directional microphones can be implemented to identify the direction of the current speaker through sound source localization and then improve the sound quality of their audio signals.
Each of these prior art approaches presents attendant issues. For example, the context of a meeting can be lost if a PTZ camera zooms in too fast or too close. Conversely, if it zooms out too far, speaker expressions are lost. Plus, response time for camera movements is typically slow and distracting at the same time. In addition, PTZ cameras are usually mounted in a stationary location, usually along one axis of a conference table, which limits their angle and field of view. Omni-directional cameras are likewise stationary, but are more likely to be installed in the center of a conference table. In either case, the standard wide-angle perspective image they generate results in image foreshortening that causes participants sitting at the far end of the table to appear small relative to those sitting near the camera. This makes it difficult for remote participants to see the faces or expressions of those at the far end of the table. Furthermore, when trying to include all participants, screen space is wasted on the background instead of the faces of the meeting participants. Similar issues exist with audio quality. Users that are close to general purpose microphones are too loud and those that are further away are too difficult to hear. Likewise, directional microphones may be too selective, as they may not be sufficiently aimed at the current speaker. Furthermore, they may not provide sufficient overlap in their coverage when implemented in conjunction with an omni-directional camera array. In consideration of the foregoing, there is a need for improving the video view and corresponding audio quality of videoconferencing.